Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi

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Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi
Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan by Thomas Lawrence, 1810 - Fogg Art Museum - DSC02319.JPG
Iranian Ambassador to the United kingdom
In office
1809–1810
MonarchFath-Ali Shah Qajar
Preceded byOffice re-created
Succeeded by
In office
1815–1816
MonarchFath-Ali Shah Qajar
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byUnknown
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
1823–1834
MonarchFath-Ali Shah Qajar
Preceded by
Succeeded by
In office
1838–1845
MonarchMohammad Shah Qajar
Preceded by
Succeeded byMirza Mas'ud Khan Ansari
Personal details
Born1776
Shiraz, Iran
Died1845
Iran
RelationsFamily: Qavam family
Father:

Mirza Abolhassan Khan Shirazi Ilchi Kabir (Persian: میرزا ابوالحسن خان شیرازی ایلچی کبیر‎) was an Iranian statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1824 to 1834, and then again from 1838 until his death in 1846.[1] He also served as the ambassador to Russia and the United Kingdom, and was the main Iranian delegate at the signing of the notorious Treaty of Gulistan (1813) with neighbouring Russia.

Family[]

Abolhassan was born in 1776 at Shiraz; he was the second son of Mirza Mohammad-Ali, a secretary of Nader Shah, and a daughter of Ebrahim Khan Kalantar, thus making him part of the influential Qavam family of Jewish origins.[2]

Exile and return[]

As a young man, Mirza Abolhassan was appointed as the governor of Shushtar. In April 1801, however, the family lost much of its power and influence during the downfall of Ebrahim, and thus all members of the family were persecuted by the Iranian government. While many were blinded or killed, some managed to flee. Mirza Abolhassan, however, was captured by Iranian troops, and was exiled in his native Shiraz. Abolhassan shortly afterwards fled from Shiraz, reaching Basra, where he then took a vessel to Hyderabad in India. Luckily, he was some time later pardoned, and went back to Iran, where he served Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, and quickly rose to high offices.

Later life[]

Abolhassan was chosen in 1809 as ambassador to lead a diplomatic mission to London at the court of the British king George III to seek support against growing ambitions of Russia in Caucasia. His escorting officer or "mehmandar" in the United Kingdom was Sir Gore Ouseley, who later encouraged Abolhassan to join the Freemasons which he did in 1810. During his trip, Abolhassan kept a diary that was later published under the title, Heyratnameth (the book of wonders). This book, in which Abolhassan formulated his perception of Europe's modern achievements, was read widely in the Qajar court and later inspired sociopolitical movements, such as Iran's constitutional revolution.[3]

Upon his return of that mission, Mirza Abolhassan obtained the title "Khan" and "Ilchi" (envoy). Abolhassan was later appointed as the main delegate for Iran in the Gulistan of 1813 and Turkmenchay treaties, under which Iran lost most of her Caucasian territories to Russia. In 1835, Abolhassan sealed himself in the Shah-Abdol-Azim shrine as a protest to Prime Minister Ghaem Magham Farahani. Abolhassan Khan later died in 1845.

References[]

  1. ^ Keddie, Nikki R. (1999). Qajar Iran and the rise of Reza Khan, 1796-1925. Mazda Publishers. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-56859-084-4.
  2. ^ Modern Iran Dialectics, By Michael E. Bonine Nikki R. Keddie, SUNY Press, 1981, page 293.
  3. ^ Vahid Vahdat. 'Occidentalist Perceptions of European Architecture in Nineteenth-Century Persian Travel Diaries: Travels in Farangi Space Routledge, 2017 ISBN 1472473949

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
Office re-created 		Iranian Ambassador to the United kingdom
1809–1810 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Office created
1815–1816 		Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
 Minister of Foreign Affairs
1823–1834 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Minister of Foreign Affairs
1838–1845 		Succeeded by
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